Relationship between Grain Growth and Formation of Fracture Surface of Ultrafine Grained Cu in High-Cycle Fatigue

Fatigue tests were conducted on specimens of ultrafine grained copper produced by equal channel angular pressing. The growth behavior of a fatal crack was monitored successively. The morphological features of the crack growth paths and fracture surfaces were influenced by variation of grain size and damaged areas of the crack tip, depending on the stage of progress of the fatigue damage. The change in fracture surface was discussed by considering the interrelation between the reversible plastic zone size at the crack tip and the microstructure evolved during cyclic stressing.